Director Zack Snyder awed audiences with his over-the-top portrayal of the Battle of Thermopylae in “300.” There was blood, shouting, and a narrator whose voice sent chills down the spine of the audience. It was the perfect formula for an action movie.
“300: Rise of An Empire” attempts to take that formula to the next level. Noam Murro, who took over as director for the sequel, relies on more slow motion battle sequences and more blood splattering all over the place. While it still makes for a fun and exciting movie, it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor.
The film takes place concurrently with the original “300.” While the Spartans are fighting Xerxes’ forces at Thermopylae, the Athenian Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) leads the Greek navy against the Persian navy and its leader, Artemisia (Eva Green), in the Aegean Sea. Themistocles attempts to unite the Greek city states to defend against the invading Persian forces.
While Stapleton gives a convincing performance as Themistocles, he comes nowhere near matching Gerard Butler’s awe-inspiring portrayal of King Leonidas in the original film. And his absence can be felt. The limited amount of Spartan participation makes the film feel a little empty. While the several naval sequences help fill this gap, the movie just doesn’t feel the same without a focus on Greece’s strongest fighting force.
However, in Butler’s absence, Green is fantastic in her role as Artemesia. She evokes fear and gives off the sense that she really has a hatred for Greece. Artemesia could have easily become a one-dimensional character, but Green manages to give her some depth.
But perhaps the most impressive part of the film is the special effects. The naval sequences are on a huge scale and appear realistic. Without great special effects, Murro’s hack-and-slash formula would have been impossible.
Although “300: Rise of An Empire” isn’t as good as its predecessor and has some flaws, it’s still an entertaining film. Anyone looking for a good action movie will be satisfied.
3.5 out of 5 stars